Saturday, December 27, 2014

Our
Cross-Over is a great little pattern. It is so easy to knit in simple
garter stitch which is also known as "plain knitting". The finished
slippers are cosy, lightweight and very packable.

The standard Cross-Over slipper super chunky yarns. You'll also need two soles which can be made from any heavy material such as felt denim - one with latex on the bottom for a bit of grip.

We recommend a minimum of two layers, not
only for comfort, but also to hide the joins when stitching between the
two sole layers leaving the slipper smooth both inside and out. You can
add one or two extra pairs of our to give more cushioning or more grip.

To get started make a note of the number of holes on your chosen size of sole.

Knit twice as many rows as you have holes e.g. if the sole has 68 holes knit 136 rows.

Cast off leaving a long tail (about a yard or metre) to start your stitching.

Using a blunt needle
start stitching one corner to the centre front of the slipper - you'll
see there's a small notch to show the correct starting point.

The key to even spacing is to stitch one rib of the garter stitch to each hole and work your way right round.

Make any joins on the underside of the sole so they will be hidden when you stitch on the outsole.

When you get back to the toe continue in the same direction stitching the short edge over you first stitches

.

Tuck the other short edge inside and stitch this to the knitted upper close to where it joins the sole.

Reverse the overlap for the other foot!

The out sole is attached by stitching through both (or all if you're
using more than two!) layers of soles. Here we are attaching it with
back stitch. - but you can use any stitch you would like- blanket stitch
always looks cosy. Use the space between the inner and outer sole to
hide the join when you need to knot on a new length of stitching yarn.

Monday, December 22, 2014

You will need about 5 yards of T-shirt material or something similar
that coils up easily when stretched. You will also need a square (or any
shape) of fabric for the base. The one I made is about 15" x 20" and it
is super plush.

Step 1 Base of rug

Cut out a piece of fabric that measures 15" x 20" after you fold and hem in the sides.

Step 2 Cut strips of fabric

Next cut long strips one inch wide of the T-shirt fabric.

Step 3 Sew rug

Take the long pieces of material and stretch them out so that they coil,
then cut them into about 4 inch lengths. Line them up on the base and
start sewing them right down the center, sewing each row close to the
previous row. Each row should be separated by about an inch or inch and a
half.

Step 4 Great time saver!

Here is a great time saver! Line up a couple thin strips of tape
(sticky side up) and place the fabric coils across them. Take the taped
row and sew it down the center on to the base. Once you sew it down
simply remove the tape.

Step 8: Repeat last step to the other side hole.
Put on puppy and see if adjustments need to be made. If the hole is not
large enough make small cuts until hole is correct size.

Greek Yogurt Cheese

get as much of the
whey out of the yogurt as possible and get it nice and thick. Then
add just a bit of salt and the best olive oil, Stop right
there, and what you end up with is so similar to goat cheese. That is
what inspired me to roll it into logs and serve it the same way you’d
serve any goat cheese. Take it a step further and use a variety of
herbs, depending on what you’d like to serve it with. Sprinkle them over
the top or you could finely chop the herbs and roll the log to
completely cover it. There are so many possibilities with this cheese.

Greek Yogurt Cheese

You’ll need:
cheese cloth
large fine mesh sieve
bowl with high sides (be sure the bottom of the sieve sits high above the bottom of the bowl)
two sheets of parchment paper
Place the sieve onto the bowl and line it with the cheese cloth. Spoon the entire container of yogurt into the lined sieve.

NOTE
If you don’t have cheese cloth, you can use a clean white tea towel or even good quality paper towels.

Bring up the sides of the cheese cloth to cover the yogurt and place one
of your largest cans on top (Don’t use two cans, like in the photo! I
really just use one). This will help press the whey out even more.
Place the entire contraption in your fridge and leave it alone for about
three to four days. If you want, you can unwrap it after two days, but
it just won’t be as firm

Remove the cheese from the refrigerator. Discard the whey. Unwrap
the cheese and place it in a medium bowl. Add the salt and the olive
oil and blend in well using a rubber spatula. Draw a line down the
center with the spatula.
Take half of the cheese and place it on the sheet of parchment.
Bring up one side of the parchment over the cheese and using your hands,
form a log out of the cheese. Roll it up in the paper and roll the log
on your counter to give it shape. Repeat with the other half of the
cheese.
Refrigerate the cheese logs or serve immediately.

drizzle the top of the cheese with more olive oil and some fresh herbs.
Try using flatbread crackers topped with the cheese and some assorted
veggies.

When the chickens used on commercial farms
are past their prime, some farms will simply sell off their birds for
slaughter. However, some birds find their way into the hands of people who find homes for these birds.
Unfortunately, the hens aren’t always in the best shape when
they reach the rescue. Often times, the practice of farming chickens
leaves the birds bald, stressed, and sick. To help readjust these birds
to life outside the confines of commercial farms, the rescue fits the
bald birds with (adorable little) sweaters to keep them
warm.

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Double knitting yarn (100g makes approximately 3 jumpers)
2 buttons or 10cm Velcro
1 pair of number 8 (4mm) knitting needles
4mm crochet hook
Knitted in stocking stitch with garter stitch borders
Cast on 41 sts,
Work 4 rows K
Increase for tabs;
Cast on 10 sts at beginning of next row, k14, p to last 4 sts, k4.
Cast on 10 sts at beginning of next row, k14, p to last 14sts, k14.
Work buttonholes; (work these 2 rows straight if using Velcro).
(K2, yf k2tog) 3 times, work to end keeping edges in garter st.
Repeat this row for buttonholes on the other tab.
Cast off 10 sts at beginning of next row.
Next row – cast off 10 sts, k4, p2 tog, p to last 6 sts, p2tog, k4.
Dec 1 st at each end on every fol 6th row until 25 sts remain.
Divide for neck;
Work 11 sts, cast off 3, work to end – complete this half first.
1) k4, p to end
2) cast off 2, k to end
3) k4, p to end
4) k2tog, k to end
5) k4, p2tog, p to end
Work 4 rows straight
10) K to last 5 sts, inc in next st, k4.
11) K4, p to last st, inc in next st.
12) Cast on 2 sts, k to end, (11sts)
13) K4, p to end
14) K
Break yarn and rejoin to the other side of neck.
Work to match, reversing shaping’s and ending at winghole edge.
Next row – k, cast on 3, k across sts from other side of neck.
Next row , k4 inc in next st, p to last 5 sts, inc in next st, k4.
Inc 1 st at each end of every fol 6th row until there are 41 sts on the needle.
Work 6 rows straight.
Change to gst and knit 4 rows.
Cast off.
Sew on buttons or Velcro as desired.
Work double crochet around neck.

To start, peel and slice the bananas and then put them into a large pot.
Add the rest of the ingredients and put on the stove to bring to a
boil, stirring constantly.

After bringing to a boil, lower to a simmer and cook until thickened,
still stirring constantly. I was worried that maybe the bananas were
going to stay in huge slices but after cooking, they were reduced down
into a jam texture. mmm……
When properly thickened, spoon the mixture into sterilized glass jars
and let cool. At this point in the recipe, this jam can just be
refrigerated and will keep for approx 4-6 weeks. The lemon juice in the
recipe will keep the bananas fresh. But once your family tries it, it
might not last that long.
Or after putting the jam in the jars, you can seal the jars with
sealing lids and rings and process in a water bath for 15 minutes. Just
a note that if you process the jam in this method, it will turn out to
be a little pink instead of the mellow yellow color like this:

This is crazy good! Like monkeys swinging from the rafters good.
Like Gorilla pounding on their chest good. Like…okay..I know…that’s
enough!
Just a warning that it is on the sweet side, but crazy good.